Sport United States Project #24541

Gloves for All

by Pitch In For Baseball & Softball

Project Report | May 16, 2022
Kids Have Returned to Play in 2022 With the Help of PIFBS

By Michael Moran | Development Manager

Despite numerous challenges, PIFBS has continued to give the gift of play to thousands of kids in 2022. As parents are beginning to feel comfortable allowing their children to return to play following the pandemic, the need for equipment has never been higher. Equipment shortages have made supporting these young players increasingly difficult over the last year, but PIFBS remains committed to ensuring no child is turned away due to the inability to access the proper equipment. Our team has worked tirelessly to give all kids the opportunity to play this year.

In the first quarter of 2022, PIFBS has distributed over 7,000 gloves to underserved youth around the world, and this number is expected to increase drastically over the next few months. Numerous groups have already expressed their gratitude for our support, for many were uncertain if they would even have a season. All of this is possible due to the generosity of our supporters. Without the help of passionate members of the baseball and softball community, PIFBS would not be having the same impact.

Even with the recent success in getting kids back on the diamond, our work is far from over. There seems to be a never-ending cycle of setbacks for these underserved communities. From natural disasters to financial struggles, many families are unable to prioritize youth sports for their children. PIFBS hopes to be able to eliminate the burden of buying equipment on these families and allow the kids to enjoy the game they love once again. PIFBS looks forward to continuing yet another strong year of making sure all kids have the opportunity to play ball.

Dayton Softball

This group out of Dayton, Kentucky, had a 7th grade student show up to tryouts without a glove. Due to the donation they received from PIFBS, the coach was able to provide a glove to the young girl. She ended up making the team with the new equipment. Her coach mentioned that being part of the team gave her new role models which influenced her to change her behaviors in school and improve her grades. Dayton also had an 11th grade student who was unfortunately headed down the wrong path as she transferred between schools multiple times. After some encouragement from the other players, this young lady showed up, bringing with her no equipment, just a smile. They were able to supply her with a glove and a bat to practice with and she has now become an asset for their team. Without PIFBS these two young girls would not have been able to play ball this spring.

Youth Baseball Association of Richton Park

Equipment donations to this group in Illinois, have allowed numerous kids to play who might not have been able to afford equipment. The gloves specifically allowed the organization to focus on providing lower participation fees. This increased the number of players signing up for the first time in program history. By eliminating equipment costs for this group, the league was able to increase accessibility for their entire community. They mentioned that their T-Ball level has had a significant increase in interest because of their ability to help with equipment costs. This is great news, because it shows kids are still eager to try baseball and softball from a young age. PIFBS is excited to help introduce future generations to this beautiful game.

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Jan 18, 2022
Looking Forward to 2022 After Supporting a Record Number of Kids in 2021

By Michael Moran | Development Manager

From the resurgence of COVID-19 to the natural disasters affecting many across the country, 2021 was yet another difficult year for most communities. Baseball and softball programs were among the victims of these developments with fears over safety and a lack of access to equipment forcing many to abandon their participation. Even with this uncertainty however, PIFBS was still able to finish our record year at the end of 2021. With your help, we were able to give the gift of play to over 100,000 kids around the world. We completed over 1,200 grants in 46 states and 22 countries. These grants were filled with well over 100,000 pieces of equipment, which included nearly 20,000 gloves. This success has not been easy, but, with your help, we were able to continue growing the game during such a challenging year.

As we start 2022, it does not appear that our work is going to get any easier. With equipment shortages, new COVID variants, and on-going disaster recovery efforts, we expect the need for equipment to grow once again throughout this year. For us to ensure seasons start on time in 2022, we are working diligently to organize our grant making efforts to maximize our impact. In 2021, numerous reports from our grantees detailed the positive effect our equipment had on their communities. From increasing educational performance, to supporting the mental health of these young athletes, our work is affecting kids both on and off the diamond. This shows how critical it is for us to continue fulfilling our mission. It is about more than just this game we love, for it is about providing an avenue for children to develop and achieve success in all aspects of life.

Looking forward, we anticipate 2022 to be yet another record setting year for PIFBS. With the increase in need and supply chain issues however, it is critical that we acquire the equipment as soon as possible to ensure delivery before opening day. We would hate nothing more than seeing leagues delay or cancel their seasons due to the inability to obtain the proper equipment. With your continued support, we believe we will be able to meet the needs of programs across the country. We refuse to allow the negative developments in the world to affect the ability for youth to play this beautiful game.

Impact Stories:

West End Reds Baseball/Softball Organization – This league in Cincinnati, Ohio had been using very old equipment for years, which had made most players lose confidence on the field. Without the help of PIFBS, the West End Reds organization would have struggled to provide baseball and softball in the West End of Cincinnati according to their league president. Most of their players come from urban families where the median income is approximately $13,000, so many cannot afford their own equipment. With the gear provided by PIFBS, there was a boost in confidence amongst their players, and one of there teams was even able to win the league championship at the end of the year. The league president described this as a “massive accomplishment” due to the lack of resources their community has available. We look forward to continuing to see growth in this league and the youth that participate.

Bedstuy Sluggers – This league provides baseball opportunities to youth living in Brooklyn, New York. With the help of PIFBS, they were able to increase their participation rates, and provide many new players with opportunities to better develop their skills. The president of the league also mentioned how the new gear encouraged many to come back to their league after leaving during the peak of the pandemic. They had a 13-year-old player named Alvin, who no longer had a love for baseball or a love for sport in general due to the COVID-19 developments. Thanks to this donation, he decided he wanted to give baseball another try. Since then, it has again become his passion. He is now working hard to be able to get into a good high school where he will excel academically and athletically. This showed us that many programs are still trying to recover from declining participation, and that our donations are making a difference in combatting those trends.

Links:

Read More of Our Impact Stories Here

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Sep 23, 2021
Our Record Year Continues Through the Summer

By Michael Moran | Development Coordinator

During times like these when nothing seems to be going right in the world, baseball and softball provide an escape from the everyday challenges individuals are facing. This year especially, sports have offered a sense of normalcy and hope for the future. Coming off a year where participation declined and the cost to participate increased dramatically, we knew our efforts needed to be increased to help lead the resurgence of these sports. Leagues struggled financially due to cancelled seasons and having to refund registrations, and many did not know if they would be able to hold their season due to ongoing changes in regards to the pandemic. Due to the increased need of support, this year thus far, we have completed over 1,100 projects with leagues around the world and anticipate helping about 100,000 children. This is well over our previous record for projects in a year and is reflective of the changing CDC guidelines around equipment sharing. We anticipate ending the year completing nearly 1500 projects as we continue to receive equipment grant requests.

Within these grants, over 17,000 gloves have been distributed. This has allowed thousands of kids to play ball safely with increased confidence. We have received dozens of reports from supported leagues expressing how impactful these donations were to their organizations. To date, we are happy to announce that over 65,000 kids have been impacted by these donations so far this year. We expect that number to grow as we finish up our last projects for the season.

As we wrap up our busiest time of year, we are already looking forward to next season. With the growth of baseball and softball starting to gain traction in many communities, it is likely that the need for support will grow as well. It is also a critical time now for us to acquire gloves and other equipment to fulfill grants next year and in the future. One thing the pandemic has really highlighted is how connected we all are as well as the systems around us. As a result of COVID-19, the supply chain from manufacturer production to transportation has been heavily impacted and we don’t anticipate it getting better anytime soon. Limited equipment availability poses a threat to our ability to help the maximum number of children possible. That is why it is important for us to get ahead of these issues soon and acquire the equipment needed for struggling programs. We hope to continue to grow our impact through these challenges and have yet another record year in 2022.

Impact Stories:

Neenah Discovery Softball – One of our favorite projects this year was with this program located in Neenah, Wisconsin. This is an adaptive program which allows individuals with special needs of all ages to enjoy playing softball. Due to COVID-19, their players were no longer able to share equipment. This along with a decrease in funding due to the pandemic, made having a season unlikely. Some individuals in their league also required special gear, which was difficult to find especially in times like these. Luckily, they contacted us for support, and we were able to provide them with over $5,000 worth of equipment. This league was finally able to have their season and over 70 players were able to benefit from the donation. The joy on the faces of these individuals is unforgettable, and we look forward to doing similar projects in the future.

Newfield Park Youth Baseball – This league located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, had their inaugural season in 2021. There were previously no youth athletic programs offered in their section of the city. Their community also has one of the lowest household income averages in the state. They set up this league to bring hope to the community, and to teach their youth all the valuable lessons that can be learned through the game. Of course, after hearing this story, PIFBS was more than willing to help. We provided a grant filled with gloves and baseballs to help start their league. As has been reported by their president, this donation alleviated the burden on so many families to provide funding to the league. Their first season was a success and brought the whole community together. We are so glad we were able to help grow the game in yet another community.

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